light questions

ok i was using the topsy turvy idea and realized i didnt have enuff money to worry whether or not it was going to produce...so i moved back to the pots...i have ity bity plants!!!! am i not using enuff light? i have 3 42w cfls on 2 plants but they're little!!! am i using enuff cfls? i have them in a closet...small fan...my ac's ususally on thought is that a problem? i made my light like the cheap light fix video on youtube...someone please help!!!! im tryin to do this cost and time efficiently....thanks:roll:
 

riddleme

Well-Known Member
post pics of your plants and setup and then we can tell you

tell us everything
soil?
temp?
humidity?
watering practices?
etc.?

light is just one part of your garden
 
ok my temp in my house total is around 75-76 degrees...i dont have a temperature gauge yet...soil is just plain potting soil from home depot...everything else they have has got miracle gro in it and they say no chemicals for 30 days? i have different soil for after 30days its a cactus type blend potting soil for made especially for great drainage...but it has the miracle gro in it....will this stuff work? i couldnt find the right lighting assembly so i had to use what i could with money allowed!!! i usually feel the soil once a day if its damp i dont water if its not i do....is that ok? i play music for hem constantly is there a certain type? i have aluminum foil on my walls of the closet and the edge of the pots....these plants are new only a week to weel and a half tops...but one is bigger? my camera sux sorry...they are 42 watt cfls...only 3 of them...should i redo my lights? please help me!!!!:leaf: im stuck in the middle of nowhere pretty much without a car and not alot of money...my climate is mostly hot...humid...but really rainy at times...idk i just wanna do this right i have great seeds!!!!
 

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riddleme

Well-Known Member
Wow you have so much wrong going on

anything MG is bad for new growers, not that MG is bad it is just that using it requires a bit of skill and know-how

foil is very bad remove it right away

and by your pics it appears your cfl's are the wrong spectrum for vegging, they look like 2700K (red) spectrum, you need 6500K (blue) for vegging, this is why they are so small, you can use the 23 watt 6500K bulbs (get 2 at walmart for $8 )

read my sig links everything you need to know about soil grows is there
 
Why is foil bad? i have read alot of ppl do it? i was planning on lining the walls of my closet with it. maybe i shouldnt now?
 

riddleme

Well-Known Member
if you can install it without any wrinkles it works but must use the dull side out

it causes reflective hot spots that can burn the plant and it reflects heat as well as light

flat white paint is better as is mylar
 
thats a sweet setup you got there! thanks for your input...i felt something was seriously wrong but i was told i needed 42 watt or better...and the spectrum seemed off as well but i had to use what the store had...im making my way to walmart now...grabbing some white paint and 23 watt bulbs...now should i redo my lighting assembly itself? it seems to be uneven and honestly its a do it yourselfer that was rushed do to lack of tools...i couldnt find the switches anywhere...how did you do your light if i may ask or did come that way?
 

riddleme

Well-Known Member
Light came that way it's a CMH 400 watt

and you want the side of the cfl over the top (1 and 1/2 to 2 inches away) of the plant so build/plan as needed
 
Hey riddleme.... what size light is that? Just wondering cause thats the way I want to go eventually. I light and as many plants as possible.
 

riddleme

Well-Known Member
I said what it was in post 10

don't know what you mean by soil link, I'm using soil-less, sunshine mix #4
 
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